The PESERA coarse scale erosion model for Europe. I. – Model rationale and implementation

The principles and theoretical background are presented for a new process‐based model (PESERA) that is designed to estimate long‐term average erosion rates at 1 km resolution and has, to date, been applied to most of Europe. The model is built around a partition of precipitation into components for overland flow (infiltration excess, saturation excess and snowmelt), evapo‐transpiration and changes in soil moisture storage. Transpiration is used to drive a generic plant growth model for biomass, constrained as necessary by land use decisions, primarily on a monthly time step. Leaf fall, with corrections for cropping, grazing, etc., also drives a simple model for soil organic matter. The runoff threshold for infiltration excess overland flow depends dynamically on vegetation cover, organic matter and soil properties, varying over the year. The distribution of daily rainfall totals has been fitted to a Gamma distribution for each month, and drives overland flow and sediment transport (proportional to the sum of overland flow squared) by summing over this distribution. Total erosion is driven by erodibility, derived from soil properties, squared overland flow discharge and gradient; it is assessed at the slope base to estimate total loss from the land, and delivered to stream channels.     

A rational method for estimating erodibility and critical shear stress of an eroding rill

Soil erodibility and critical shear stress are two of the most important parameters for physically-based soil erosion modeling. To aid in future soil erosion modeling, a rational method for determining the soil erodibility and critical shear stress of rill erosion under concentrated flow is advanced in this paper. The method suggests that a well-defined rill be used for shear stress estimation while infinite short rill lengths be used for determination of detachment capacity. The derivative of the functional relationship between sediment yield and rill length at the inlet of rill flow, as opposed to average detachment rate of a long rill, was used for the determination of detachment capacity. Soil erodibility and critical shear stress were then regressively estimated with detachment capacity data under different flow regimes. Laboratory data of rill erosion under well defined rill channels from a loess soil was used to estimate the soil erodibility and critical shear stress. The results showed that no significant change in soil erodibility (K_r) was observed for different slope gradients ranging from 5 to 25 while critical shear stress increased slightly with the slope gradient. Soil erodibility of the loess soil was 0.3211 ± 0.001 s m^− 1. The soil erodibility and critical shear stress calculations were then compared with data from other resources to verify the feasibility of the method. Data comparison showed that the method advanced is a physically logical and feasible method to calculate the soil erodibility and critical shear stress for physically-based soil erosion models.     

饱和状态下黄绵土坡面细沟侵蚀可蚀性和临界剪切应力特征

土壤可蚀性参数和临界剪切应力是评价土壤易侵蚀程度和抗水流剪切变形能力的重要指标,目前在黄绵土坡面细沟侵蚀过程中,土壤饱和条件下可蚀性参数和临界剪切应力的变化尚不明确。该研究采用室内土槽模拟冲刷试验确定不同坡度（5°、10°、15°、20°）和流量（2、4、8 L/min）下饱和黄绵土坡面的最大细沟剥蚀率,基于数值法、修正数值法和解析法计算土壤可蚀性参数和临界剪切应力。结果表明,3种方法所得最大细沟剥蚀率均随坡度和流量增加而增大,其中修正数值法和解析法计算的最大细沟剥蚀率更接近。土壤可蚀性参数分别是0.485、0.283和0.268 s/m,土壤临界剪切应力分别为1.225、1.244和1.381 N/m2。修正数值法可提高数值法近似计算的精度,使近似计算结果更接近解析法计算获得的理论值。饱和较未饱和黄绵土的土壤可蚀性参数略有减小（16.83%）,而临界剪切应力减小了66.97%,表明土壤饱和对黄绵土土壤可蚀性参数影响很小,但大幅度削弱了土壤临界剪切应力,使得黄绵土坡面饱和后土壤侵蚀更为强烈。此外,饱和黄绵土边坡的临界剪切应力比饱和紫色土坡面大6.38%,而细沟可蚀性参数大2.35倍,表明土壤饱和对2种土壤临界剪切应力影响程度相似,但黄绵土较紫色土对土壤侵蚀的敏感性更高。研究结果可为饱和状态下不同土壤坡面细沟侵蚀模型参数的优化提供参考。     

黄土高原坡耕地的细沟侵蚀及其防治途径

陕北典型黄土丘陵沟壑区的定位观测、野外调查和室内一系列人工降雨试验资料,表明了细沟侵蚀量占坡面侵蚀量的70%。而细沟侵蚀的发生是在坡面股流的流程上,当径流侵蚀力增大到足以冲刷土块,形成小跌水,进而演化为细沟下切沟头时,细沟侵蚀就开始发生了。下切沟头的下切侵蚀和下切沟头间径流对沟底的冲刷、沟头的溯源侵蚀、沟壁的崩塌形成了断续细沟,而位于一条股流流程上多个断续沟头溯源侵蚀的连接就形成了连续细沟。在这个过程中。由于降雨径流侵蚀力和土壤抗侵蚀力在时空上的强弱对比关系,出现了细沟的分叉、合并及连通现象。所有这些过程不但促进了细沟的发展,而且也造成了严重的细沟侵蚀。降雨径流侵蚀力。土壤抗侵蚀性能,坡度、坡长、坡形和土地管理因素是影响细沟侵蚀的主要因素。因此。防治细沟侵蚀的关键是削弱降雨径流侵蚀力和提高土壤的抗侵蚀性能。而免耕留茬、覆盖、草粮带状间作、水平沟种植及土地的合理利用是防治细沟侵蚀行之有效的措施。     

Modeling soil erosion on steep sagebrush rangeland before and after prescribed fire

Fire in sagebrush rangelands significantly alters canopy cover, ground cover, and soil properties which influence runoff and erosion processes. Runoff can be generated more quickly and in larger volume following fire resulting in increased risk of severe erosion and downstream flooding. The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model was developed to predict erosion on cropland, forest, and rangeland. WEPP is a tool that has potential to model the effect of fire on hillslope hydrological processes and help managers address erosion and runoff risks following fire. Experimental results on a steep (35 to 50% slope) sagebrush site suggest that rill erosion is the dominant erosion process following fire and the WEPP parameterization equations related to the rill erosion process need improvements. Rill detachment estimates could be improved by modifying regression-estimated values of rill erodibility. Also, the interactions of rill width and surface roughness on soil shear stress estimates may also need to be modified. In this paper we report the effects of prescribed fire on runoff, soil erosion, and rill hydraulics and compare WEPP estimated erosion for several modeling options with measured erosion.     

Effects of Topography and Surface Soil Cover on Erosion for Mining Reclamation: The Experimental Spoil Heap at El Machorro Mine (Central Spain)

Mining reclamation tries to reduce environmental impacts, including accelerated runoff, erosion and sediment load in the nearby fluvial networks and their ecosystems. This study compares the effects of topography and surface soil cover on erosion on man‐made slopes coming from surface mining reclamation in Central Spain. Two topographic profiles, linear and concave, with two surface soil covers, subsoil and topsoil, were monitored for two hydrologic years. Sediment load, rill development and plant colonization from the four profiles were measured under field conditions. The results show that, in the case of this experiment, a thick and non‐compacted topsoil cover on a linear slope yielded less sediment than carbonate colluvium or topsoil cover on a concave slope. This study also shows that vegetation establishment, which plays an important role in erosion control, depends on topography. Plant cover was more widespread and more homogeneous on linear profiles with topsoil cover. On concave slopes, plant establishment was severely limited on the steepest upper part and favoured in the bottom. This study suggests that management of topography and surface soil cover should be approached systematically, taking three outcomes into consideration: (i) topsoil can lead to a successful mining reclamation regardless of topography, (ii) created concave slopes can lead to a successful mining reclamation and (iii) topography determines the vegetation colonization pattern. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effectiveness of palm and simulated geotextiles in reducing run-off and inter-rill erosion on medium and steep slopes

Palm‐leaf geotextiles could be an effective and cheap soil conservation method with enormous global potential. However, there are very few data on the effectiveness of palm geotextiles in reducing soil erosion by water. This study investigates the effectiveness of two types of palm geotextiles and the effect of geotextile mesh size on infiltration, run‐off and inter‐rill erosion rate and soil surface roughness on a medium and steep slope. A well‐defined protocol was developed to conduct laboratory experiments. Rainfall was simulated for 90 min with an intensity (I) of 45 and 67 mm h^?1 on an inter‐rill erosion plot, filled with an erodible sandy loam and having slope gradients (S) of 15 and 45%. Two palm‐leaf geotextiles (Borassus aethiopum and Brazilian Buriti Palm) and three simulated geotextiles (polyethylene tarpaulin) with different mesh sizes (1 × 1, 5 × 5 and 12 × 12 cm) were tested on a simulated fine tilth. Calculated k values from the Horton infiltration equation ranged from 0.025 to 0.145 and decreased linearly on both slopes with geotextile cover. Geotextiles are more effective in reducing the run‐off coefficient on a medium slope (15%) compared with that on a steep slope (45%), ranging from 76.4 to 17.9%. Mean b values from the mulch cover equation equalled 0.024 for a 15% slope and 0.045 for a 45% slope, indicating a higher effectiveness of geotextiles in reducing total inter‐rill soil loss on gentler slopes compared with commonly used mulches. Erosion‐induced soil surface roughness at the end of each experiment increased linearly with geotextile cover percentage and this increase was not significantly different between the two slope gradients.     

Evaluation of two soil conditioners for limiting post‐fire erosion as part of a soil conservation strategy

Soil conservation is a major concern for catchments affected by forest fires. The lack of vegetation cover and the development of soil water repellency increase the risk of topsoil erosion. This paper evaluates two soil conditioners (a wetting agent and a polyvinyl acetate) for limiting overland flow and erosion in inter‐rill areas. Unburned and burned soil samples were treated with one or both soil conditioners. The effects of these treatments on run‐off, water retention, erosion and plant growth were assessed using laboratory rainfall simulations. Polyvinyl acetate had little impact on water retention but was effective in reducing soil loss. The surfactant had little impact on water run‐off or soil loss but substantially improved water retention and plant biomass production. Application of soil conditioners on post‐fire areas could be a valuable technique in a soil conservation strategy. To maximize their benefits, soil conditioners could be applied with seeding using hydroseeding techniques and be limited to particular areas, such as paths and roadsides. Laboratory results indicate that field testing should also be carried out.     

Determination of rill erodibility and critical shear stress of saturated purple soil slopes

The hydrological conditions near the soil surface influence the soil erosion process, as determined by the soil erodibility and critical shear stress. The soil erodibility and critical shear stress of saturated purple soil slopes were computed and compared with those of unsaturated purple soil slopes. The detachment capacities computed through the numerical method (NM), modified numerical method (MNM) and analytical method (AM), from rill erosion experiments on saturated purple soil slopes at different flow rates (2, 4, and 8 L min^?1) and slope gradients (5, 10, 15, and 20°), were used to comparatively compute the soil erodibility and critical shear stress. The computed soil erodibilities and critical shear stresses were also compared with those of unsaturated purple soil slopes. At the different slope gradients ranging from 5° to 20°, there were no significant differences in the soil erodibilities of the saturated purple soil and also in those of the unsaturated purple soil. The critical shear stresses slightly varied with the slope gradients. The saturated purple soil was relatively significantly more susceptible to erosion. The NM overestimated the soil erodibility of both saturated and unsaturated soils by 31% and underestimated the critical shear stress. The MNM yielded the same soil erodibility and critical shear stress values as the AM. The results of this study supply parameters for modeling rill erosion of saturated purple soil slope.     

黄土坡面细沟形态变化及其与流速之间的关系

研究细沟的形态变化特征是认识细沟侵蚀的重要基础,细沟发育过程中细沟形态变化与水流动力学特性之间存在相互影响和相互作用的关系,研究细沟发育过程中细沟形态与水动力学之间的关系,有利于更好地了解细沟侵蚀过程和侵蚀机理。该研究通过室内人工模拟降雨试验,对黄土坡面细沟发育过程中的细沟形态变化及其与流速的关系进行了研究。结果表明:坡面侵蚀过程呈明显的阶段性,坡面细沟形态变化过程与坡面径流含沙量的变化情况基本一致;坡面跌坎发生的临界流速为0.19~0.21 m/s,当坡面径流流速大于这个临界值的时候,坡面会出现跌坎;细沟发育初期,细沟间的距离一定程度上影响细沟的分布,最早出现的细沟之间不会再出现新的跌坎,这一间距范围在12.5~17.5 cm之间;细沟侵蚀过程主要以下切侵蚀和溯源侵蚀为主,沟壁坍塌的侵蚀作用相对较小;细沟流速随时间的变化大致呈先增后减的趋势,细沟流速随细沟宽度的增加而显著减小,这一趋势在4 m坡段尤为明显,二者之间存在显著负相关关系(r=-0.348,P=0.04)。受试验条件所限没有研究细沟深度和流速等其他水动力学参数,以后需要不断改进试验方法来准确测量流速、水深等指标,进一步研究细沟发育过程。     

Rainfall erosion of some Alberta soils A laboratory simulation study

This laboratory rainfall simulation study investigates the effects of soil properties, slope steepness, and cover density on rainfall erosion potential of 153 soil samples collected in Southern Alberta, Canada. Simulated rainfall amount was held constant for these tests Of all the factors examined, simulated vegetative cover was found to be most significant. When cover was held constant, soil aggregate stability is the best predictor of variations of soil erodibility. Organic carbon content, texture and runoff amount (infiltration capacity) are other significant variables Slope was found to be significantly related to wash loss but not splash loss Two factors were proposed to explain the lack of relationship between splash loss and slope: (a) the proportion of splashed particles collected outside the sample plan may vary with the size of the pan; (b) soil transportability by splash increases only slightly with slope angle and therefore splash loss is only marginally related to slope steepness     

Soil erosion risk assessment using GIS and CORINE model: a case study from western Shiraz,Iran

This study employs the Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) model with geographic information system to assess soil erosion risk for restoring and protecting areas within the Bonrod Zangane watershed, western Shiraz, Iran. Actual soil erosion risk was determined by combining two main parameters including potential soil erosion risk and vegetation cover. The potential soil erosion risk was generated by integrating soil erodibility, erosivity and slope parameters. Soil texture, depth and stoniness layers were overlaid to form a soil erodibility map. Modified Fournier index and Bagnouls–Gaussen aridity index were integrated to generate the erosivity layer. The slope classes also were generated from digital elevation model. In order to estimate vegetative land cover, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used. The raster-based layers were then integrated to produce erosion risk map. The results showed that 34.7% of the study area has high and only 31.4% of the study area has low soil erosion risk. It is concluded that CORINE model can be used to delineate the soil erosion risk and also to discriminate the potential soil erosion risk areas.     

土壤分离能力测定的不确定性分析

土壤分离能力是含沙量为零时坡面径流分离土壤的最大值,是确定细沟可蚀性和土壤临界剪切力的基础,也是土壤侵蚀过程模型推广应用的前提,因此,对其准确测量非常关键。在系统分析野外坡面径流小区无法测定土壤分离能力的基础上,从室内试验水槽的类型与规格、土样采集的代表性、测试样品的长度、扰动程度、初始土壤含水量及土样冲刷时间等方面,系统讨论了它们对土壤分离能力的潜在影响与机制,探讨了土壤分离能力测定过程中的不确定性。对深刻理解土壤侵蚀过程的动力机制、选择合理的土壤分离能力测定方法与试验过程,具有重要的指导意义。     

Soil erosion and runoff response to plant‐cover strips on semiarid slopes (SE Spain)

Over a four‐year period (1997–2000), soil loss and surface‐runoff patterns were monitored in hillside erosion plots with almond trees under different plant‐cover strips (thyme, barley and lentils) on the south flank of the Sierra Nevada (Lanjaron) in south‐eastern Spain. The erosion plots (580 m a.s.l.), located on a 35 per cent slope, were 144 m² (24 m×6 m) in area. The plant‐cover strips, 3 m wide, ran across the slope. The most effective plant cover proved to be thyme, reducing soil loss by 97 per cent and runoff by 91 per cent, compared to bare soil. Barley reduced soil loss by 87 per cent and runoff by 59 per cent, compared to bare soil, while these percentages were 58 per cent and 18 per cent for lentils. Thyme proved 77 per cent more effective than barley and 93 per cent more effective than lentils in reducing soil loss; thyme was also 79 per cent more effective than barley and 90 per cent more than lentil in blocking runoff. The present study demonstrates the effectiveness of plant‐cover strips in controlling soil erosion and runoff on sloping agricultural land. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measuring Field Rill Erodibility by a Simplified Method

Many process‐oriented erosion prediction models reproduce rill erosion as affected by site‐specific parameters, as for example, rill erodibility, and thus, their practical application requires the measurement of these parameters or their estimate. The aim of this paper was establishing a method for indirectly measuring field rill erodibility. A simple mathematical approach based on a known soil detachment equation and accounting for the rill erosion dynamic process is applied. Field measurements carried out for seven natural rainfall events occurring at the plots of the Sparacia experimental station, southern Italy, are used for indirectly measuring the rill erodibility of the investigated soil. This method needs only the knowledge of the geometric characteristics of the rills at the end of the erosion event and the event duration. The method was also tested by using the Water Erosion Prediction Project database, and this analysis showed that a reliable value of rill erodibility can be obtained by the proposed Equation 18 . The proposed method has the following advantages: (i) to be applicable at field scale, being more realistic than the laboratory scale because the soil structure is not destroyed, and (ii) to avoid the disadvantages of field experiments such as the cumbersome experimental set‐up and the large volume of water inflow needed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

WEPP模型中细沟可蚀性参数估计方法误差的理论分析

细沟土壤侵蚀在坡面土壤侵蚀占有重要地位。土壤可蚀性参数是WEPP模型中计算预报/计算细沟土壤侵蚀中极其重要的参数。WEPP模型现在采用的可蚀性参数是用长的细沟/径流小区试验以细沟侵蚀产沙估计得到的最大可能剥蚀率为基础获得的。该文分析了细沟侵蚀产沙随沟长的变化关系,分析了可蚀性参数估计误差的来源。从理论上推导出了计算现有WEPP可蚀性参数估计误差的计算方法。理论分析表明,对于限定性细沟,可蚀性参数的估计误差主要来源于细沟最大可能剥蚀率的估计值。最大可能剥蚀率的理想估计值是水流载沙量与细沟长度的函数关系在细沟     

Assessment of soil erosion indicators for maize-based agro-ecosystems in Kenya

Measuring soil loss is costly, must cover a range of field situations, is not standardized, and is season dependent. In addition, use of sparse soil loss data (from other studies) compromises the integrity of many erosion models. Easily assessable soil erosion indicators to monitor the cumulative effect of erosion between tillage/weeding and harvesting called eroding clods, flow surfaces, pre-rills, and rills were surveyed directly after the 1995 rainy season in the Taita Taveta district of Kenya, to assessed the utility of each indicator. Their incidences were modeled using CPA. In the area, 70 maize plots in 11 map units, having considerable variation in altitude, land cover, rainfall, and geomorphology, were surveyed. Soil loss was considered variable between plots due to differences in surface soil, land cover, infrastructure (trash lines, grass strips, and Fanya-juu), crop management, slope, and map unit. The eroding clods indicator proved of little significance because the initial clods cover was unknown; the indicator probably relates better to soil erodibility then to soil loss. Flow surfaces, formed during erosive showers, were less present on fields with a higher ground and canopy cover, if the area of eroding clods was high, and if the topsoil had no loam which reduces chances of sealing; no impact of infrastructure, tillage, and weeding were detected. Fewer pre-rills were present where the fraction of groundcover was high, where Pigeon Peas were not grown (they cause micro-relief and concentrated flows), where weeding ended late (time effect), where more flow surfaces occurred, where Fanya-juu was constructed (less steep slopes), where the top-soil contained little sand (less sediment entrainment), and where maize was intercropped with vegetables (positive canopy cover effects). The model was not map unit specific and had an Adjusted R² of 67%. The log-linear relationship indicates that combined positive conditions exponentially reduce the occurrence of pre-rills. The “pre-rill” indicator related best to management-affected site conditions and seems to reflect best the cumulative effects of soil loss over time. Rills were found at 18 sites located in drier areas on sandy–clay soils. The model suggested more rills if the topsoil contains no silt; this makes the soil susceptible to compaction, peptisation when wet, and rill formation.     

饱和与非饱和黄绵土细沟径流水动力学特征及侵蚀阻力对比

近地表水文状况显著影响坡面土壤侵蚀过程。土壤饱和状态作为一种特殊的近地表水文状况,其细沟侵蚀特征较之非饱和状态存在明显的差异。以黄绵土为研究对象,采用限定性细沟模拟冲刷,对比研究了饱和与非饱和状态下黄绵土的水动力特征和侵蚀阻力。结果表明:饱和黄绵土径流流速与坡度、流量之间符合良好的幂函数关系,坡度对流速的影响更甚;饱和黄绵土径流流速约为非饱和黄绵土的1.17倍,其坡面摩擦阻力仅为非饱和黄绵土的70.3%;同种工况下,非饱和黄绵土的径流含沙量和细沟径流动能明显偏低,随着径流动能增大,2种土的径流含沙量均呈现对数型增长,径流含沙量峰值稳定在400,280kg/m~3内;饱和与非饱和黄绵土的细沟可蚀性参数分别为0.088,0.057kg/(m~2·s),相应的土壤临界剪切力分别为0.773,1.561Pa,表明饱和黄绵土更易剥蚀、流失。     

土壤侵蚀物理模型中紫色土细沟侵蚀参数研究

以长江中上游典型侵蚀性土壤紫色土为研究对象,采用变坡限定性细沟土槽,研究不同流量、坡度和沟长情况下,紫色土细沟侵蚀特征,并量化了细沟侵蚀参数。结果表明:细沟侵蚀受水流水力特征、土壤性质和坡面影响,随着水流含沙量的增大,细沟侵蚀速率呈现减小趋势;流量越大,坡度越陡,细沟水流的剥蚀率越大,造成细沟侵蚀速率也越大。在5L/min的小流量下,细沟侵蚀速率受剥蚀率限制与含沙量没有出现线性关系,15,25L/min流量下,细沟侵蚀速率与含沙量呈线性相关。侵蚀速率在细沟开始处最大,随沟长的增大,水流能量消耗于挟带泥沙而迅速减小,相关性分析得到侵蚀速率与沟长呈指数递减,相关系数R2变化于0.45~0.98之间。通过回归分析得到试验条件下,紫色土细沟土壤可蚀性均值为0.005 3s/m,临界剪切力均值为2.92Pa。研究结果对于坡面土壤侵蚀物理模型的建立和推广应用提供数据支撑,为紫色土坡面侵蚀研究提供借鉴。     

模拟降雨条件下碱性坡地土壤侵蚀试验

 采用室内人工降丨射模拟试验,研究降雨强度为50 mm/h时不问坡度（5°、15°、25°)和不同土壤（土壤的可交换钠比例ESP值分别为2.4和25)对土壤人渗率和侵蚀缺的影响。结果表明：1)不问坡度和不同土壤的径流模数随降雨历时急剧增加,后于平稳,人渗率和侵蚀产沙量随降雨历时急剧减小,趋于某一稳定值;2) 土壤ESP值水平一定时,入渗率和累计人渗量都随着坡度的增大而增加,侵蚀产沙坩随笤坡度的增大先增加后减小,在15° -25°之间存在着侵蚀的临界坡度;3)坡度一定时,径流模数随着 ESP值的增加而增加,稳定人渗率和累计人渗量随卷ESP值的增加而减小;4) 土壤的ESP值水平对侵蚀产沙量的影响随坡度不同而不同,坡度为5°和15°时,同一坡度的侵蚀产沙量随ESP值的加大而减小,当坡度为25°时,核蚀产沙量随ESP值的加大而增大,说明坡度较大时,土壤ESP值的增大更容易引起土壤侵蚀。